Strings and Papers
by ScarletRedfox
Summary: Lukanette AU! Originally called 'I Like Your Dad' for lack of a better title . Marinette Dupain-Cheng loved her work as a teacher, she loved children and she loved giving something of herself to help others. She was a professional, but was forced to rethink that when she unexpectedly meets the father of one of her students, a handsome man - and has to break him out of a fight.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! As requested, I made this into a full fic. It was originally something small on Tumblr, an AU idea for Lukanette (SingleDad!Luka and Teacher!Marinette) but after many requests, I finally decided to post the first chapter. **

**INFO:**

**\- All characters are aged up! Everyone is at least in their late twenties/early thirties.**

**\- Modern AU without superpowers/kwamis. Tikki is a cat here ^_^**

**\- A few OC's will make appearances, mostly the children of some of the original ML characters (Luka's child Leon…etc.)**

**\- This is purely Lukanette.**

**Oh and I apologize for any OOCness in advance!**

**Enjoy reading! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Children rushed about, the room bustling with life as her students went about their tasks; trying to create something using their hands and imagination.

It could be drawings, clay creations, any piece of art that the children were able to craft.

The important thing was, it was something that made them happy and that they liked.

"Miss Marinette! Miss Marinette! Look what I did!" the boy waved his clay creation in the air wildly, cupped securely in his hands.

His teacher flashed him a bright smile, bending down to look at him and his clay figure properly, "Oh! What a cute dog!" the brown clay figure with blotches of white was slightly disfigured, but Marinette could tell from it's general shape it was supposed to be a dog, a dog with missing ears, but a dog nonetheless.

Marinette grinned cheerfully and nodded towards the others. "Is this what makes you happy?"

He didn't hesitate to reply. "Mhm! I love my dog very much!" he raised his arms and spread them as wide apart as they could go, indicating how much he loved his pet.

Marinette's alert gaze swept over her class, catching some students drawing quietly on some tables, others chatting energetically on the arts and crafts table with glue and colourful carton papers strewn about.

Some children were on the floor, building castles, vehicles or even people with lego blocks.

She walked around, asking every child how they were doing and if they needed any help. Marinette offered holding the tall lego tower for a girl while she got the little decorative bow on top of it, her mother's workplace she said, a place she could play at where her mother was also nearby, because she didn't want to be alone at home.

The next child was a boy with dark messy hair and kind brown eyes, Leon. He was drawing something.

Two people, surrounded with what looked like music notes. And what appeared to be an instrument on top of the taller figure, a guitar.

Marinette crouched down next to the table and peeked over his shoulder, giggling when he turned his head and wore a full blown grin on his face. "Miss Marinette!" her heart warmed and lips pulled into an automatic smile at his glee.

Leon was such a cheerful child. He was a walking contradiction at times, cheerful and kind but also quiet and polite, he was never mean to his classmates or teachers.

He sometimes hummed a melody during class, but quiet enough not to disturb her or anyone else, she sometimes heard it when the whole class was silent, except for Leon, who hummed a tune to himself, swinging his legs with a small smile on his face.

Marinette remembered the first time she asked him about it, the reason why he hummed and if it was a special melody.

His answer had surprised her. '_Mhm! My dad always sings me to sleep that way! He's really good with his voice."_

She couldn't remember ever meeting the man, Leon's father, she vaguely remembered jotting down a phone number as the parental contact information, but she couldn't remember it.

The only parental figure that frequently picked Leon up from school was his aunt Juleka, whom Marinette always had pleasant conversations with. The woman was kind if a bit shy, her voluminous hair, dark save for the purple streak at the front and at the ends, half hiding her left eye. It would've hidden the entirety of her face if not for the hairclip holding it at bay.

Marinette couldn't blame her, she herself normally styled her hair into pigtails, loose hair would get everywhere in her face and it was impractical for teaching.

She also experienced some of the more daring kids try to pull on it, so pigtails were always a safe bet.

Marinette focused back on the picture Leon was drawing, particularly the two figures on it. "Is that you and your dad?" she saw him nod his head, using black to colour the top of his father's head and blue for the ends. She stifled a giggle, always amazed at how creative children could get. She saw a girl once draw her father with flowing rainbow hair and when she'd seen the man in person, he almost looked nothing alike from the childishly drawn picture his daughter portrayed him to be.

"Your dad's hair looks cool." She smiled, giggling at the light blue.

"Thank you." His polite phrase made her smile and the pedagogical figure in her rejoice, she was proud whenever parents raised their children right.

Then, she pointed to the guitar over his head, his best attempt at the instrument, which Marinette had to admit was good for someone his age. "Is that your guitar?"

This time, Leon shook his head. "No, that's my dad's. He plays it whenever he's home, he also plays for me." He smiled shyly, sheepishly, rubbing his messy black hair. "Um, I tried to play once, but it fell on the ground. Dad didn't get mad, but I felt really guilty." His cheeks tinged pink and Marinette felt sympathy well within her heart as she placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm sure your dad forgave you as soon as it happened, it was an accident, right? Accidents happen all the time, Leon! I dropped my mug in the kitchen today!" she giggled, cringing internally because she was known for her clumsiness.

The boy stuck his bottom lip out and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess, I still felt really bad, but dad said it was okay…" a bright smile curled his lips in the next second, eyes alight with excitement. "Miss Marinette, can I tell you a secret?"

Marinette steeled herself, adjusting her grip on the table to support her weight. Children were honest by nature, they frequently revealed things about their home life, in extent their parents', to the teachers. Most things weren't bad, but very amusing, a secret source of entertainment for teachers to talk over coffee in the teacher's lounge.

Leon whispered before she could say anything, grinning from ear to ear. "My dad is the best dad in the world!"

She blinked, surprised, but laughed at the 'secret', shaking her head and affectionately pinching Leon's cheek, which made him laugh. "Really? Then I guess I should meet the best dad in the world sometime, hm? I would love to meet him." She was being honest too.

It was important for teachers to know the parents of the children they taught and took care of through the day and their early education, knowing from what sort of familial backgrounds children came from was important to adjust their teachings or offer the appropriate help if children were surrounded by less than desirable circumstances.

Marinette doubted that was the case with Leon, but she was curious about his father, since she never met either him nor the mother.

She did hear from the aunt that his mother was working and living overseas and that the father was her older brother, but that was that.

She hadn't thought to ask the aunt, since she thought his father would come to pick his son up himself sometime. So far, that hadn't been the case, but Marinette could be patient.

If he was as great as Leon described, surely he would have time to drop by sometime?

Standing up, Marinette complimented the drawing one last time before she clapped her hands and announced for the children to hang up they art works somewhere in the classroom, on the walls or the strings over their heads to decorate the room with.

Weeks had already passed since the school year started and Marinette longed for something new and fresh to liven up the classroom, the children found the idea good too. It would help keep their creativity flowing and to brighten the overall atmosphere.

Her gaze strayed to the clock on the wall and a sigh left her lips.

It was almost time for the big break.

* * *

_A few minutes later…_

The two women laughed, Marinette stirring her coffee to dissolve the sugar as her best friend and fellow teacher Alya talked about her day. "Wait, you didn't take the glue from him?"

The busty woman snorted, taking a big sip from her black coffee before she smirked like a fox. "Nope! I let him squeeze out every last drop, he learned his lesson when the ball rang. He had to clean up all the mess himself and he got a good scolding from his mom too. Good woman, I salute her!" she lifted her mug in a mock salute and Marinette laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm sure the boy had reasons to be so destructive." Truthfully, children with such tendencies weren't rare, they were aware of the phases of each child and that sometimes by destroying things, they released pent up frustration or helped themselves focus better afterwards. But this child seemed to be a bit different. "What's his background like? The parents?"

Alya sighed, taking another long gulp. "Father's a mechanic, has a bit of a sailor's mouth. The mother is an iron hard business woman, she even makes me freeze on the spot whenever she comes to pick him up." She grimaced, extending her hand to throw a sugar cube into her coffee. "I think the dynamics in the family are a bit unbalanced. The father is a bit too lenient but the mother is too strict, causing the two to clash. They're unsure of their parenting methods, they even had a small verbal fight during parent teacher conference."

Ugh, Marinette secretly dreaded those days, as did every other teacher.

Parents came in all shapes and sizes, just like anyone else.

There were parents who were the spitting images of their offspring, other were their polar opposites.

There were parents with impeccable backgrounds, academically successful people, but lacking in human warmth. Parents that continued the archaic parenting methods of their own parents, never intending to change the way they were raising their own children from their own childhood treatment.

Marinette disliked those the most, ones that weren't progressive in their thinking but cocooned in their own 'deal' version of how a child had to behave or to what limits a parent's authority could reach.

It was her secret pleasure whenever she had an opportunity to shoot them down and lecture them otherwise, she lived for those moments to see the colour drain from the adult's faces while she explained all the potential negative ways their toxicity could affect their child after, that children weren't 'small adults' and that every child had different needs and required a different form of parenting finesse.

Some parents were defensive and angry like lions, others more kind and understanding and willing to better themselves and correct the errors.

In the kitchen of the teacher's lounge, somewhere in the back of her mind, Marinette kept Leon's picture stored in her memory and during her conversation with Alya, she wondered just what sort of parent Leon's father was.

It was two in the afternoon and classes were over for today, for the children the day of duties and learning was over.

But for Marinette, she still had tons of work to do.

She watched the children leave the classroom, watched them put on their outdoor shoes and how some parents were already waiting for them out of the classroom.

Those moments, when the parents came to pick up their children, those moments Marinette loved most.

To see the pure joy of child and parent at seeing each-other, after being separated only for a few hours. To see them kiss and embrace each-other and laugh. The parents asking about their day and the kids retelling everything they did, from the tiniest details, the most insignificant things to the big events.

The parents listened with a smile, some shutting off their phones so colleagues from work didn't disturb them.

There were also other parents, some greeted their children with a quick hug and kiss, ushering them along so they didn't stay away from work for too long. Others gave a robotic kiss to their cheeks and took their school bags, marching out of the school like a soldier in the military, their child trailing behind them like a doll pulled by its strings.

Marinette always stayed with the ones whose parents were running late, being met with endless exclamations of gratitude for watching over them on her break and the like, with numerous apologies spilling from their mouths about traffic and work or too many duties overlapping.

She understood, she was an adult herself, and while not a mother, Marinette knew how difficult children could be. Her past work experiences in a local kindergarten taught her the very definition of patience.

And what it means to be assertive.

Kindergarten kids could be surprisingly stubborn and with their temper tantrums, _nothing_ was safe from them.

She remembered starting her private meditating sessions for that very reason, always after work, with or without relaxing music and her bed.

She tried a scented candle once, but nearly burned her foot after not paying attention.

Sometimes, relaxing music didn't help, the zen-esque tunes not appealing to her at all. She sometimes wondered if the people composing the music ever really tried mediating to it.

But the most relaxing thing to her was still her other passion, besides teaching.

Fashion.

She loved to create.

She encouraged creative minds in whatever way she could.

Her own parents' encouragement and support in her youth drove her to pursue a career in fashion, then switch over to teaching, to be in a role where she could offer the same kind of warm encouragement and fierce support children didn't have from home.

Her wardrobe consisted of more than half of her own creations, clothes by her own design. She'd tried opening a small fashion store once, but had to close it due to time constrictions. She couldn't do two very time consuming jobs at the same time.

It might have been 'just' elementary school, but correcting hundreds of students' tests, writing new ones, overseeing several classes while attending her own educational courses took up a lot of time.

Marinette relished coming home, stretching and taking a quick shower before she set to work.

Before she opened any of her thick folders or worksheets for school, she first opened her journal.

She always liked to document things, for safety but also private reasons. As insurance and the fond – and not so fond – memories to find a home.

For that purpose, she kept two diaries.

A journal for work.

A diary for home.

Marinette took the thick leather bound tome first, a modest brown leather design, a feather imprinted onto the leathery material on the cover, the thick book held closed by a magnet.

She opened it, skimming through filled pages to get to a blank one.

And she began writing, Tikki mewling at her feet, her soft fur brushing against her legs, whiskers tickling her skin while Marinette scribbled furiously, toes gently running along Tikki's arching back.

_"__Hello journal,_

_Today had been a good day, 24__th__ of October. _

_I started class at 8 sharp, there were only two children who called in sick, with parents excusing their absences immediately._

_Class began with arts and crafts, the children received instructions on the tasks for today: decorating the classroom._

_The old decorations were discarded, some saved in the storage room for further use, but the broken and tattered ones disposed of. The children had to create something that made them happy, in whichever form they could. Drawing, painting, using clay or building blocks to their heart's content._

_I tried helping as little as I could, to not impede their creativity, but offered helpful advice when asked. Most used clay to form figurines of their parents, siblings or pets. Some even formed food. A few creations caught my eyes, but all of them were unique and beautiful in their own way. Some of the children took their creations home, drawings they made a second or third time mostly. But many others stayed to decorate the classroom, it gave a refreshed image and helped levitate the atmosphere._

_Break was spent outside in the school garden, I led some of the children to the vegetable garden to check on the growing plants and explained some of the still budding vegetables, unrecognizable in their 'baby form' as the students called it._

_Tasks for tomorrow were quickly finished, I worked through my fifteen minute break, the short assignments about 'happy memories' had been read through but refrained from correcting. It had been one of their first written tasks, so I refrained from putting a stamp on them with red markings. I've returned them today, for the two sick children, I kept them in my desk in the teacher's lounge to be dealt out once the children returned. _

_Parents had picked their children after school was over, some running late. Ms. Wilson had a suspicious countenance in particular, I detected a faint scent of something alcoholic, but didn't address the matter. I did send a message to social worker Chloe Bourgeois, who agreed to look into the matter after some measures. Apparently, the family had already been a case not yet laid to rest and they'd waited for a cue to finally take action._

_More to come tomorrow, goodbye for now._

\- _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

Marinette yawned, spying the clock on her desk reading just passed seven in the evening. Had she been sitting for that long already? She shook her head, leaning down to scratch Tikki's head, resting languidly on Marinette's foot.

She would need to feed her later and check her water bowl. Tikki was sometimes surprisingly gluttonous, despite her slender frame.

Stifling another yawn, Marinette safely stored the notebook in her first drawer, locking it with a key and slipping the metal into a hidden sleeve underneath her desk, well concealed from inattentive eyes.

She smiled when she grabbed her private diary, the pink leather book feeling heavy with memory in her hands.

She pulled off the leather string tying it together and flipped it open to a fresh page.

And began to write.

_"__Dear diary,_

_Today had been a stressful day. _

_The children were fine and well-behaved, but I had so much work to do! Not to mention, I missed one of my breaks because a colleague had called in sick unexpectedly and I had to fill their shift. Can you believe it? She couldn't have called hours ago before school started, she HAD to call five minutes before her class started and I had to FLY across the hallway to make sure the children were inside and busy with tasks._

_Sometimes, I wish I could throw a banana at some of my colleagues._

_Some people just shouldn't have become teachers._

_The world would be a better place, the children growing in it too._

_Speaking of children, something caught my eye today that I just couldn't get out of my head."_

Marinette paused, tongue sticking out of her mouth as the image of Leon's drawing burned brightly in her mind, as if she imprinted it so perfectly into memory.

_"__Leon drew a picture today, under the theme 'what makes me happy'. He drew a picture of his family, his dad and him. He didn't draw his mother and I didn't ask, it wasn't my place to and I doubt he'd know anything aside from 'mommy doesn't live with us' or the like. At least, that's the impression I got. But from everything I saw so far, it looked like the father didn't live with him either. He __**never**__ set foot in school before! Or at least I never saw him, Alya apparently did, but couldn't really remember, saying it was for a short time and there were so many people."_

Marinette rolled her eyes, thinking back to the conversation she had with Alya in the kitchen.

That woman could memorize six pages of their random chats about a boy they gossiped in high school, but couldn't, for the life of her, remember seeing the parent of one of the children at parent teacher conference two years ago. She smiled, shaking her head fondly and the pen was scratching against paper again.

"_Anyway, what Miss Reporter said, Leon's father was apparently pretty busy. She didn't know what his occupation was, but it was the only logical conclusion, right? A man that rarely picks his son up from school? Sends his sister to do it for him? He must be some businessman. Then again, Leon mentioned how 'he was the best dad in the world' and he would sing and play songs for him before he went to sleep. Maybe he wasn't so bad, but what was the deal with not coming to school? Was he a former dropout? Did he just have a phobia? Maybe he really was just too busy, but still, something's fishy. Juleka, the aunt, mentioned how apologetic the man felt for not always being there….I guess he might not be a bad parent, but still, Leon talked so fondly of him, I really hope he isn't the jerky parent I think he could be. I also, wondered about where the mother was. Leon rarely ever talks about her, I don't really dare to ask neither him nor Juleka. It was a family matter after all, but still, I was biting my nails the whole time! Juleka just mentioned the mom lived and worked overseas and the dad was busy, but that was it. Were they divorced? Forced to live apart because of work? I don't think Leon seemed to mind much, at least he hadn't showed any signs to. He rarely talks about his mom, but he regularly gushes about his dad. Maybe I shouldn't judge too quickly, the man could have his reasons for not picking up his child._

_Still, I'll see where that goes. Maybe I'll try to flip through the parent contact book and try to give him a call, just to see how he would react._

_Anyway, that's all for today, I still need to feed Tikki and myself._

_See you tomorrow, dear diary!_

\- _Marinette_

**Thanks for reading! What did you think so far? :)**

**P.S. You can find the published few parts on Tumblr (under lady-charinette)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm very sorry for the delay of Chapter 2, I've been so busy at university and studying and everything. I hope to update faster next time, anyhow here's the next chapter! :)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 2**

"Auntie Jule!" Leon stared up at his aunt, tugging on her the hand holding his securely as they crossed the street.

The woman didn't answer immediately, eyes focused on looking left and right as they rushed across the street, once they made it safely on the other side, copper eyes stared down at the child questioningly. "Yeah, Leo?"

The boy pursed his lips in thought, trying to express himself in words, a feat his own father had trouble sometimes accomplishing. "Does…does dad have time to come to school sometime?" big brown eyes, his mother's eyes, stared up at her expectantly.

Juleka Couffaine briefly stared at the sky, spotting the school not too far ahead, trying to recall her brother's schedule. "Hmm…I'll have to ask him. Why? Did something happen?" Worry immediately shot through her heart like an arrow, causing her grip to tighten slightly on her nephew's hand.

He shook his head, much to her relief. "No, my teacher just wanted to see him!"

The woman rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Your teacher? Your homeroom teacher Miss Marinette?" that was weird, "Did she tell you why?"

Leon rubbed his chin, eyes squinty as he thought hard about yesterday and what Miss Marinette said. "Um…um….I think…I think…she said she would love to meet him." He shrugged, not entirely sure if she had mentioned a reason. He remembered drawing his picture and hanging it up in class. Leon jumped, eyes wide and excited as he tugged on his aunt's hand again. "Auntie Jule! Auntie Jule! I drew a picture yesterday you have to see it! Come on!"

The boy tightened his grip around her hand suddenly and marched forward like a soldier on a mission. Juleka stumbled before quickening her own pace, trying to keep up with the ball of energy that was her nephew.

Her thoughts were still on Leon's words from earlier. Why did Marinette want to see her brother? She was sure Leon hadn't done anything wrong, otherwise Marinette would've called herself or Leon would've mentioned something.

_'__She said she would love to meet him.'_

Juleka blinked, now very curious on the reason behind the sudden question. Then again, Marinette had a right to know where Leon's parent was, up until now, it was Juleka she'd had regular contact with and who picked up Leon from school. Luka had attended parent meetings, but as far as she was concerned, Marinette hadn't been there due to other meetings.

Taking out her phone while ascending the steps to the elementary school, Juleka typed in a quick text and sent it to her brother.

"Good morning Lea! Good morning Emma!" Leon's excited shouts echoed in the hallways, greetings his friends with wild waving, immediately distracted from his initial goal of showing his aunt a picture he drew.

Juleka smiled, making small talk with the gathered parents ready to see their children off.

* * *

A ping sound made the man quickly take out his phone, heart pacing in his chest worriedly.

Juleka normally sent a text at lunch, it wasn't nowhere near lunch yet. Was it the school? Did something happen to Leon?

Luka's heart raced wildly right up until he opened the chat, a relieved sigh leaving his lips when he carefully read the message from his sister.

_'__Hey Lu, don't worry, nothing happened. Was wondering when you'll come to school, people are curious about Leo's mystery dad.' – Jule_

Luka frowned. Mystery dad? He'd attended parent meetings before…granted, he didn't come often to school like picking his son up like he wanted. He was sure some people did wonder about him, especially since he hadn't met all the teachers yet either.

But he _did_ come when he could.

"Something the matter?" his manager rose an eyebrow at the musician staring at his phone thoughtfully. "Something wrong with your kid?"

Luka snapped out of his thoughts, fingers flying over the screen to hurriedly send the message before pocketing the device again. "No, sorry."

Bob Roth hummed, eyeing the man a moment longer before he pulled up a photo from his drawer. "Anyway, I wanted you to try and collaborate with my son for a few songs. He's good on vocals, I thought you'd provide the back-up vocals and maybe some guitar on the side. How's that sound?" the overly large lopsided grin on his manager's face didn't spell 'a few' songs, more like a whole album.

The picture of XY's sleazy face stared at Luka, who grimaced at the too wide smile and the overbearing amount of jewellery on the younger man's face.

Luka shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rolling the black and silver ring on his finger back and forth. "…I thought it was about producing more copies for my recent solo hit. Penny Rolling told me there weren't enough copies in stock." He rose an eyebrow curiously, wondering how they'd jumped from his music onto possibly collaborating with Roth's son.

Bob laughed, a boisterous, too loud sound for so early in the morning. "Of course! Of course! We'll get to that later, don't worry Luka! Now, about my son-"

Luka wished there were more parent meetings.

* * *

Juleka's phone vibrated with the zig zag pattern she'd set for her brother.

A message.

He must be bored, or stuck with Bob, that had been a _very_ quick response.

She opened their chat and scrolled down to the new message, eyes briefly glancing towards Leon who laughed with his friends in class.

_'__Sorry. Talk at lunch. Weasel's here.'_

So, he _was_ with Bob Roth. Juleka rolled her eyes, sending a short 'Good luck' back to her brother. Any dealings with Bob Roth were mentally and physically exhausting, she just hoped Luka would have some free time during lunch to talk about school and Leon.

Juleka pocketed her phone as soon as she saw Marinette, who was watering the plants on the windowsill.

"Good morning." The teacher turned around, setting down the watering can when she spotted Juleka standing at the doorway of the classroom.

"Good morning Juleka!" Marinette's far more cheery greeting put a smile to her face. She was rarely ever in a bad mood and Juleka appreciated it. The teacher being in a good mood meant classes flowed smoothly and the other kids were infected with the positive energy she radiated. Mornings were always hard, standing up so early to get Leon ready for school if Luka had to leave even earlier for work, before Juleka herself had to head to work.

There were mornings that Juleka did get up for without complaint, when she would be treated to the too rare sight of her brother and nephew in the bathroom, her brother shaving and Leon trying to imitate him by spreading toothpaste over his mouth, which always elicited laughter from them. Or when Luka would play a relaxing tune to start the day at the breakfast table and the family would talk about their plans for the day.

She realized Marinette had asked her something and the woman grabbed her hair instinctively, feeling ashamed for having ignored her. "I'm sorry, what did you say earlier Marinette?"

The teacher smiled in understanding, shaking her head. "It's fine Juleka. I just asked how your morning was."

The woman smiled, heart warming at how considerate she was. "It was fine. Leon was a bit fussy while getting dressed, but it was alright otherwise." She glanced at the two thermos flasks on Marinette's desk and she smiled sympathetically. "Rough morning too?"

The teacher laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "I forgot to eat breakfast this morning, but Alya thankfully packed lunch for me and some coffee. Do you want some? I have enough for three people!" both women laughed and Juleka politely declined, spying the clock on the wall.

There was more than enough time to enjoy some coffee with the kind teacher, but she had to get to work. "I'm sorry Marinette, I would love to, but I have to get to work." She shrugged, but other woman understood, nodding in understanding.

"That's fine, I don't want to hold you up any longer." She glanced to the side, until her eyes widened and she impulsively grabbed Juleka's hand. "Oh wait! I almost forgot!" she dragged the stunned brunette with her towards the side of the class, a string reaching from wall to wall with many drawings attached to it.

Marinette lead her to one particular drawing and upon closer inspection, a smile automatically lit up the young woman's face. "That's Leon's!" without even glancing at the messily scrawled name in the corner, Juleka easily recognized the bright blue hair of what looked like her brother's stick figure and her own purple mixed with black, along with a flower clumsily drawn on top of her head.

Juleka rarely wore any kind of accessories in her hair, but Leon had always liked putting flowers in her hair and in Luka's too. It was a trait he'd since he was four, the time where they went on a little family trip and Rose had shown her favourite spots in a garden they visited. Juleka was used to people – particularly Leon or Rose – putting flowers in her hair, Rose being the primary suspect.

Their house was full of flowers, according to Rose, all pretty things deserved to have a flower to accentuate their beauty.

Juleka, in her eyes, was no exception.

It still made her blush, to this day.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Juleka admired the creative picture, full of colours and adorable stick figures representing their family.

"Um…I'm sorry if I'm too forward but…" Juleka turned her head to look at the teacher, who suddenly shifted her weight and only hesitantly met her copper gaze. "May I ask about…Leon's father?"

Juleka blinked. "My brother? Luka you mean?"

"Luka…yes." Marinette seemed to test the name how it rolled off the tongue easily. "Does…I mean…is he home often?"

Honestly, Juleka couldn't blame Marinette for asking, as far as anyone from the school staff was concerned, the principal was the only one who'd seen her brother more than a handful of times. Marinette had also been a bit unlucky, always missing each-other at parent teacher conferences.

She couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Yeah, of course. But he works a lot, he's busy but always manages to make time for Leon." Warmth flooded her chest at the thought of the cute moments whenever she would stay over and catch her brother tiptoe his way to Leon's room just to check if the boy was fine and sleeping.

When he would wake up earlier than he had to and prepare Leon's lunchbox before collapsing on the couch for a few more hours of precious sleep. The sheets strewn about in his room, working on a new lullaby for Leon to fall asleep to whenever he had nightmares. It always made her brother anxious whenever his son shuffled into his room and crawled into his bed, small body cuddling up to his father to sought out comfort in the safety of his arms, who had never failed to offer that protection.

Marinette nodded, noting the expression on her friend's face. "I see…I'm sorry if I'm prying Juleka-"

She shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. "Not at all, Marinette. You're Leon's teacher, you deserve to know about his family. It's just…" she played with her bangs, nausea settling into the pit of her stomach. "Some things are…a bit more complicated. But Luka is a good dad, he always takes care of Leon and makes sure he doesn't lack in anything. I'll talk to him and try to clear his schedule so you guys can meet." Her painted lips raised into a tentative smile, Luka's message still at the forefront of her mind.

The polite smile remained on Juleka's face despite the teacher's yelp of mortification. "Thank you Jul- wait…h-how did you know I wanted to meet him?" the dumbfounded and increasingly nervous look on the teacher's face made Juleka's smile widen.

"Leon told me."

"W-What?"

"Miss Marinette would love to meet him!' Juleka imitated her nephew's higher pitched voice, watching an interesting shade of pink spread over the teacher's cheeks.

Hands quickly covered the teachers face in embarrassment. "Oh no, that sounds so wrong. I'm so sorry Juleka, I should've called personally!" Marinette groaned and ran a hand down her face, making her friend giggle.

"It's fine, Marinette." She squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I assumed it was to meet him, I think you're one of the few teachers who never met him before. It's weird, it's been a few months of school already."

Marinette bit her lip, shaking her head helplessly. "I was so caught up organizing events for school, I had to cover shifts from a few colleagues so I couldn't really attend all the parent teacher meetings. But I'll definitely be there for the next one!" she grinned, giving a meaningful wink to Juleka. "And I hope you won't be the only one I see there!"

Juleka smiled. "Don't worry, you definitely won't." Juleka excused herself before she kneeled down to be at eye-level with Leon, who was off in the corner playing with his friends on a colorful carpet. They hugged briefly and Juleka bumped fists with him, which made Marinette smiled, before both women waved each-other goodbye.

With the majority of parents gone and students shuffling into the classroom, Marinette stood in the center and clapped her hands. "Good morning everyone!"

Many heads turned and almost all the children yelled back, some energetic, some tired. "Good morning Miss Marinette!"

* * *

Hours passed and finally lunch time rolled around.

Juleka's steps were hurried, trying to reach the coffee machine before all the coffee would run out. She glanced at her phone, reading the time and wondering when her brother would be free. He did mentioned around lunch time, but-

Her phone buzzed in her hand, the screen flashing with her brother's name.

Juleka quickly answered and lifted the device to her ear, blinking owlishly standing in front of the coffee machine. "Lu?"

The breathless voice of her brother greeted her back. _"Hey Jule, sorry it took me so long. Bob took his sweet time and I had a performance that dragged on with the fans. How are you?"_

Juleka scoffed gently, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder and grabbing a clean mug from the shelf, deftly preparing herself some much needed caffeine boost.

"Fine, just have so much stuff to do about work. You?" she grabbed three sugar cubes from the bowl and threw them into her mug, watching the machine come to life and vibrate as it processed the coffee capsule within it, the pleasantly smelling brown liquid filling her mug.

_"__Fine, wished I was already home."_

A laugh left the woman's lips and Juleka shook her head, grabbing her coffee after the machine was done. "We're in the same boat."

_"__I guess. How was Leon? I'm sorry I left earlier, Bob told me that meeting we had was important, a shame it wasn't. I would've made Leon his lunch."_ The man sounded disappointed and Juleka knew the father in him would reprimand himself over not making his son lunch, despite the circumstances.

Juleka rolled her eyes, taking a small sip from her coffee. "You're such a dad, you know? Don't beat yourself up over it, I made Leon lunch and it was fine. He was fine, Lu." Juleka's gaze caught sight of her fellow co-workers, smiling amicably at them before her feet carried her downstairs.

A sigh was heard on the other line. "_Well, I __**am**__ a dad for your information. No offense Jule, but you used to make a better lunch when we were in school."_

Another eyeroll. "I'm hanging up, Luka."

"_Hey, wait, don't, I was just kidding!"_ he laughed and Juleka pursed her lips, shaking her head at her brother's antics. "_Sorry, anyway, what did you wanna talk about earlier when you sent me that message?"_

Juleka stopped by the stairs, a slow smile spreading over her lips.

With a certain lilt in her voice and a positively devious glint in her copper eyes, Juleka finally settled at her desk, eyes absentmindedly scanning the sketches depicting models for the upcoming fall season.

She smiled. "Oh, right. You remember I told you about Leon's homeroom teacher, Marinette?"

**Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know what you think :3**


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